


Beneath the Vermillion Sunset

by roxminallo



Category: The Legend of Heroes, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Fandom, Trails of Cold Steel, 英雄伝説 閃の軌跡 | The Legend of Heroes: Sen no kiseki (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, BL, Gay, Humor, Jusis, Love, M/M, Rean, Romance, Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 04:31:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10506363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxminallo/pseuds/roxminallo





	

_April 14 th, 1204_

* * *

 

"Promise you'll visit again soon," Elise prodded gently, a gentle hand pulling at her brother’s arm as he packed his oversized duffle bag. "Don't make me wait another three months to see you," she finished.  
  
"I promise," he spoke, hoisting the bag on to his shoulder. "Even if it's just for a day, I'll make time," he pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing the back of her head gently. "It's strange going from seeing each other every day to barely seeing each other, and I know I'm to blame for that. My instructor is barely giving us any free time as it is, she's really taking this ‘Student Onboarding' to another level," he spoke, releasing his sister from the hug, a small blush dancing across her face.  
  
"W-well, you tell her that family is important, and that you're working hard enough as it is!" Elise spoke sternly, the blush on her face managing to deepen considerably. Rean laughed lightly.  
  
"The year is just beginning, I have a feeling it's about to get even more hectic."  
  
Elise had left two and a half months prior to Rean, and he still felt guilty that he didn’t make the trip down to see how she had adjusted. The past two weeks that Rean has spent at Thors Military Academy have been completely optional for new students, a way to familiarize them with the mechanics of being a student at a military academy. He could already tell from these weeks that he was going to love his time here, even if it meant being so far away from Elise and his parents. He didn't even know if Ymir would be in the foreseeable future.  
  
"Just... Just try your hardest," Elise finished, giving up silently.  
  
"I will," he smiled one last time and walked down the street towards the train station, Saint Astraia's disappearing slowly into the background along with his sister. This was only his second trip to Heimdallr, and it was surprisingly more confusing than the first. He opted to catch a cab, taking him the entire way to the train station. He had already purchased his return ticket to Trista, which, thankfully, would only be about forty minutes away.  
  
He settled into his seat, the train practically empty at this time of day, the vermillion sun setting beautifully through the train window.  Tomorrow was going to be the beginning of his first year at the academy, and to say he was nervous to meet his other classmates would be an understatement. This is the first year the academy is adding a third social class, Class Seven, and Rean is lucky/unlucky enough to be apart of it. He hasn't decided which one yet.  
  
He was also lucky to have already met some of his classmates, and so far he feels more at home. They seem amazing for the most part, a few quirks here and there, but overall a great bunch of people. His instructor Sara was a real treat, somewhere between a 'cool mom' and the resident drunk. He knew there were definite dark secrets that she was hiding, but he decided he was lucky to have her compared to the horror stories of the other instructors.  
  
The first classmate he met was Laura Arseid, a fierce swordsman of the Arseid School in Legram. Rean and her became immediate friends, already practicing sparring. If he was being honest, she scared him half to death, and she could best him in combat with one arm tied behind her back. Rean decided that he valued that, and made a small pact with her early on to always maintain a healthy competitive friendship so that they can continue to grow together. It's only been a short while but he knew that they were going to be great friends.  
  
"The next stop will be, Trista," the speakers blared, jarring Rean out of his thoughts. He opened his Arcus, checking the time, surprised to see that there was only five minutes left of the trip. He stood, hoisting his bag over his shoulder and made his way to the exit, slowly preparing to exit the train.  
  
The second classmate he met was Elliot Craig, who coincidentally was from Heimdallr, and surprisingly didn't want to visit home so soon. Something about ‘finally being free of his overbearing father for a little while.’ Rean and Elliot hit it off immediately, and they even spent an afternoon fishing in the pond near the sports facility. Upon hearing that Elliot’s father was _the_ ‘Craig the Red,’ Rean understood why Elliot wanted some time to himself. He learned that he had a sister that he missed dearly, so he promised that next time Rean went to Heimdallr, he would come along too.

  
He stepped off the train, sighing heavily as he made his way towards the entrance of the station. He could already tell that it was getting considerably darker since he left Heimdallr, silently happy because Trista was so peaceful at night. He walked out the station door, the early spring breeze caressing his face gently. He began walking towards Class Seven's dorms, waving to the pawnshop owner who was out walking through the small park.  
  
The third classmate Rean had met had caused quite the ruckus for the first couple days. He laughed thinking about her, adjusting the shoulder strap of his bag so that it wasn't cutting into his neck. Alisa Reinford was her name, and yes, she was the daughter of the famous Reinford Company in Roer. When one thought of the daughter of one of the most influential companies in eastern Erebonia, you wouldn't imagine somebody so-  
  
"Rean!" Alisa spoke, causing Rean to turn around quickly, noticing the blonde haired girl with two large brown bags in her grasp. He walked over to her quickly, relieving her of one of the bags weight, a smile on his face. "I'm guessing you just got back?" She smiled, silently thanking him for taking some of the weight off of her. The street lights decided that now was a nice time to illuminate, the town quickly rescued from the dark of the night sky. Rean wasn’t used to the sun being out for this long at night, having lived up north in the mountains his whole life.  
  
"I did," Rean spoke, "I wasn't expecting to be there that long, but it was a much needed trip," he finished, smiling as they walked into the entrance of the dorms. The dorms were tucked away in the entrance of Trista, a sure sign that it was the only building for sale when the academy decided to add another class. The other dorms were closer to the entrance of the Academy, but Rean didn’t mind the walk. They entered the building, walking into the kitchen, beginning to place all of the groceries onto the kitchen island, examining everything that Alisa had purchased.  
  
"Well I'm glad you're back, you can help me make dinner," she smiled, a small mischievous smile on her face.  
  
"I'm not sure that's a great idea, but that's your funeral," Rean combatted, a smile on his face.  
  
Alisa Reinford was a peculiar girl, a mysterious mix of ‘class and sass,’ as Elliot put it. During their first meeting with Instructor Sara, she had placed Alisa and Rean against Elliot and Laura, a spar that Sara said 'should make sparks fly, and tears come to my eyes.' They succeeded in the latter, in a sort.  
  
Rean, being the gentleman he is tried to protect Alisa while casting an arte, and block an attack from Laura, and managed to tumble into Alisa, his face slamming roughly into her chest, and they tumbled to the ground. He didn't immediately get up, and left his face in between her breasts, which was his second mistake. It took about four days of apologies and one _large_ secret to fix the tension that was between them, but she finally caved. And after spending a short amount of time together, Rean could already tell that she was going to be one of the best friends he'd ever have.  
  
"Aren't you _supposed_ to be good at that? You know, aprons, soufflés, baked goods, cake decorating?" She smiled, showing well enough that it was just another joke to ease the small amount of tension left between the two. Rean laughed, shaking his head side to side before folding the brown paper bags that housed the food.  
  
"Just because I'm... _that_ doesn't mean I should be good at those types of things," he reasoned, opening up the cabinets and placing the dry ingredients into the open spaces.  
  
"Why did you say _that_ , like you're ashamed of it?" She questioned, pausing for a second to let her smile fall, a concerned look etched across her pale face. To be honest, Rean wasn’t sure how Alisa was going to take the news, but when he told her, a look of relief crossed her face, and a smile soon followed.  
  
"I'm not ashamed," he quickly said. "I just... don't think it should define me," he went with. "It's not the first thing I tell a person, and the only reason I told you this early was because you were still embarrassed-"  
  
"Okay!" Alisa interrupted, earning a small laugh from the raven-haired boy. "I get it," she said, smiling once more. "So I'm guessing this is our little secret for now?"  
  
"I would highly appreciate that, Alisa," Rean smiled. "I'll tell others in my own time. I really don't want it to matter, and I'm not sure of the upbringings of our other classmates," he spoke easily, closing the cabinet before turning back around.  
  
"What about our other classmates?" Laura spoke gently, walking steadily into the kitchen, a small bag of groceries in her own hand.  
  
"Just that we can't wait to meet them," Alisa spoke, smiling fully towards the other girl. "I'm just surprised nobody else from our class jumped at the opportunity to come here early, I was dying to get away from Roer."  
  
"I as well," Laura spoke, emptying the contents of her bag. "I miss Legram dearly, but I for one wouldn't have felt comfortable without knowing the town or academy. To each their own, I suppose. I too am excited to meet them all," she spoke recycling the bag before sitting at the table. "I was hoping I would actually catch you all before any dinner plans were made. I'd love if the four of us could make dinner together," Laura smiled, pulling out her Arcus.  
  
"That sounds good to me," Rean spoke, receiving an excited nod from the blonde.  
  
"I'll call Elliot," Laura spoke, putting the Arcus up to her ear.  
  
"We'll start prepping," Alisa nodded. "Rean, you're going to be my sous-chef," Alisa smiled, pulling different ingredients together from the nights purchases. "That means you just do everything I tell you to and we'll all get along swimmingly. My maid Sharon refused to let me leave Roer without learning a few basic recipes," she said, a slight shudder to her voice. He’d have to ask her about that later.  
  
The night went by quickly, Elliot showing up immediately after Laura had called him, and the four put their heads together to cook a nice meal. Rean was quickly demoted to 'vegetable washer' after almost catching the onions on fire while sautéing them. Laura promptly took over, allowing the dinner to be made at a reasonable time. They sat down at the table, but not before putting a plate together for their instructor who was surely having a pre-dinner case of beer, and would be stumbling into the kitchen in a few hours looking for sustenance.  After finishing eating and washing the remaining dishes, they bid each other good night early, all four of them excited for the morning to come. Their first classes would be starting promptly at nine, and their other classmates would be moving in around seven. Rean removed his jacket and tie, loosening the top button of his shirt before sitting down at his desk with a pen and paper. He had promised his parents he would have a letter in the mail by the time classes started and he didn't want to disappoint. The warm spring air of Trista was nothing compared to the chilly breezes of the Ymir Mountains, and he missed it dearly. There was a picture on his desk of his family when Elise and him were still young. He smiled, beginning to write.  
  
_Mom and Dad,_  
_April 14th_  
  
_I guess now is a good time to tell you that I made it to Thors in one piece. The town of Trista is small and beautiful, and the locals and town remind me a lot of Ymir, except warmer. I was shocked to see that only three other classmates of mine decided to attend be Onboarding Training, but we all became friends instantly. You may actually know their parents Dad. Laura Arseid, Elliot Craig, and Alisa Reinford. I'm just waiting to see what other big names are going to be attending this year with me. Laura and I have become instant sparring partners, and I'm so happy that I'll have someone here that can keep me on my feet and challenge me more every day. Alisa is nothing like the reputation of her mother, in fact I'd say that she is being the exact opposite just to prove a point, and it's almost hard to believe that Elliot's dad is Craig the Red.  He's from Heimdallr. That reminds me, I just got back this evening from visiting Elise at St. Astraia's.  I know she was happy to see me, and if I'm being honest I really missed seeing her. It's a scary feeling knowing that she's on her way to becoming grown woman, but I can tell she's in good hands._  
  
_Classes begin tomorrow, and our other classmates move in in the morning. We'll apparently be conducting 'field studies' which entail us traveling all over Eastern Erebonia. I asked Instructor Sara if that would include Ymir, and she said that she would try her hardest, but it wasn't in the current roster. I want to show all of my friends my hometown. Maybe if we go to Roer and have some extra time I can convince Instructor to let us make a pit stop._

Rean smiled, allowing his pen to easily glide across the paper. To be honest, he was nervous about writing this letter, afraid that he would have nothing to say in the short amount of time that he’s been away. By the time his parents would get this letter, he would be at least a week deep into the school year. He stopped writing, a loud bang sounding in the foyer of the dorm room. He laughed lightly, assuming that it was Instructor Sara turning in for the night. Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was slightly early for her. Maybe she was being responsible for the first day of classes. The banging persisted, and he heard a muffled voice, one that sounded nothing like his instructor.

_  
I’m sure I’ll have more to write to you when classes finally pick up, but until then, I send you and the town my best. Please let everyone know I’m safe and happy._

_Love,  
_ _Rean_

He finished quickly, folding the letter in three, placing it in an already addressed and stamped envelope. He sealed the envelope, curious about the sound in the foyer. He decided to check it out, and on the way, put the letter in the mailbox. He exited his room, everybody else’s doors closed, meaning they were either ignoring it, or already sleeping. He walked downstairs to find a fuchsia-haired girl struggling with two incredibly large suitcases. She pushed her glasses onto her face, letting a small huff exhale from her mouth. He jogged down the stairs quickly, coming up to stand in front of her.

“Let me help you with those,” he offered, putting the letter in the mailbox before taking the suitcases from her grasp. “Where’s the rest of your stuff?” He asked, bending over slightly at the weight of the suitcases. It’s no wonder she was struggling.

“Thank you so much,” she responded, a relieved smile on her face. “And this is it! That’s why they’re so heavy,” she said. “Everything else I need will get shipped from home.”

“Where’s home?” Rean asked, walking further into the sitting area of the dormitory, making his way towards the staircase.

“I’m Emma!” She interrupted quickly, ignoring his first question. He brushed it aside as she quickly jogged to catch up to the raven-haired boy. He laughed lightly, straightening his back as best as he could as he began to ascend the stairs.

“It’s nice to meet you Emma,” he smiled, his voice slightly wavering from the weight of the luggage. “I’m Rean. We weren’t expecting anyone else till tomorrow morning, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“I would have been here earlier but I got… caught up,” she smiled awkwardly, walking towards a room at the end of the hall. “This one’s mine,” she smiled, pushing the door open so that Rean could enter. He put the luggage on the floor and straightened his back, his arms suddenly feeling a lot lighter.

“It’s no wonder you were out of breath, you have your whole life packed into those suitcases,” he joked, rubbing his neck gently. “I think the other three are sleeping, but I’m glad I was still awake to help you. We’ve all been so excited to meet the rest of our classmates.”

“Thank you again Rean, really,” Emma spoke, her smiling causing her eyes to crinkle, closing slightly. She pushed her glasses back up towards her eyes and looked around the room. The picked up the key that was sitting on the dresser, and immediately put it in her knapsack, tossing it onto her bed. The room was empty other than the furniture that Thors supplied, but Rean had a feeling that Emma was going to make it very homey, very soon.

“I don’t mean to keep you up-”

“You’re not keeping me up,” he interrupted. “To be honest, the thrill of classes starting is keeping me awake. We made some dinner earlier, if you want. And I can show you around if you’d like?” He offered, extending a warm smile to his new classmate.

“That would be lovely,” she replied, following Rean out of the room.

They walked through the dormitory, Rean showing her all of the common rooms and the vacant rooms, noticing that every dorm room was equipped with the same things, but were all slightly different. He couldn’t help but notice that Emma’s gaze would stay on something for longer than necessary, as if she was searching for something. As if she saw something. When they got to the kitchen, Emma politely declined the food they had made, citing that she had eaten recently.

“The best part though is the rooftop,” he smiled. “I’m not sure we have access to it, but Alisa found it a couple nights ago, and she broke the lock so that we could go up whenever we wanted. There’s this amazing view of Trista if you want-”

“Maybe another time,” Emma spoke abruptly, seeming very distracted. Her eyes darted to the other end of the hallway, Rean’s gaze beginning to follow before being stopped by Emma’s hands on his arms. “Thank you again, but I’m suddenly very tired.”

“Oh,” he paused, smiling lightly. “That’s okay. You probably had a long day today, get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning. It was nice to meet you Emma,” he replied, taking notice of the way she seemed distracted. She was definitely an interesting girl, and he couldn’t shake the fact that she had some of the same mystery surrounding her that Alisa has. He chalked it up to girls being girls before walking to the boy’s floor, locking his door behind him, and turning in for the night.


End file.
